so they will walk into the room”

they’ve never seen before    but room begs

my entrance    baby baby   it says    won’t you please 

come in    more of a statement than a question    i’ve heard it

several times    but resisted without any qualms    walls 

i can’t see through    and there are no windows   

trust me    it says    which is reason enough to not trust

    (i’ve heard that somewhere    and it rings true)

room whistles for my legs     but they don’t obey

they fold under my body    hiding

    facia of my body hears the siren’s song

and tugs at my curious muscles    which tremble

with joy at the possibilities    beyond    but 

    be safe    my heart says    be safe   

don’t go inside    there is no end to the trouble

you will find    but i look down the hall

    and see where i’ve come from  

and up the hall    and see only more of the same

stand up    i say    stand up

    now bend over    let your heart spill out over your head   

and    warmth touches my core 

as i rise    the blood    (imagine  

“[t]he blisters//it would leave” 

    if i held all this in my hands)

runs down into legs    warms the sole 

of my feet    just enough 

to    enter    that room.

quotes from “Echo” by Alexandra Umlas, found at http://southeastreview.org/30-day-writers-regimen/congrats-to-our-february-writers-regimen-winner/